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Thursday, August 14, 2014

#Disneyland60.....Today In Disneyland History....... August 14, 1958

Walt
Disney Hosts Alice In Wonderland

August
14, 1958

“I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then." Lewis Carroll- "Alice In Wonderland"

Although this
famous Fantasyland ride actually had it’s premier on June 14, 1958, nearly 3
years after Disneyland
Park opened to the public, on August 14, 1958, Disneyland celebrated the
Grand Opening of Fantasyland’s Alice
in Wonderland dark ride with the ceremony being hosted by Walt Disney himself
with Mouseketeer
Karen Pendleton dressed as Alice.Alice
in Wonderland is one of a handful of attractions that are unique to Disneyland
Park; you won’t find the attraction anywhere else. The ride was based on
Disney’s animated feature film Alice
in Wonderland, which was
released July 28, 1951. This beloved ride follows the path of the movie, as the
guests follow the White Rabbit down the Rabbit Hole into Wonderland. They spin
through scenes in a madcap fashion, dodging absurd creatures in the Tulgey Wood
with some questionable guidance from the Cheshire Cat.

When the Queen of Hearts
loses to Alice at croquet, she threatens to chop off the innocent girl's head
as she (and the ride vehicles) make their escape. After escaping the Queen of
Hearts, the vehicles leave the ride building’s second floor (a rare occurrence
in a non-thrill ride at a Disney park) and descending right by people waiting
in line, before heading to the climactic scene at the Mad Tea Party. The White
Rabbit quivers as a giant unbirthday cake with a dynamite candle on top of it
explodes and the ride vehicles escape back to where they began.In 1983, the
ride was updated as part of an overall refurbishment of Fantasyland,
as the Upside-Down Room and Oversized Room were eliminated and the Mad Hatter's
Tea Party was moved to the very end of the ride. A new narration track by Kathryn
Beaumont, the actress who voiced Alice in the film, was recorded. To create
more unified theming in Fantasyland, the Mad
Tea Party attraction was moved from a location at the rear of Fantasyland
to a location adjacent to the Alice in Wonderland ride that same year.

The
Alice in Wonderland ride, however, did not reopen until 1984, one year after
the rest of the New Fantasyland opened. Until the most recent 2014
refurbishment, Alice
herself was only seen in the singing flower garden, hidden behind a leaf to the
visitors' right. Now, she is featured in several scenes. After 55 years, Alice
in Wonderland continues to be a favorite stop in Fantasyland for both children
and adults. And that’s what happened to day in Disneyland’s history.